How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 156

Living as the Third Son of a Failed Novel – Episode 157

Chapter 42. Sella Flores

Aboard a medium-sized Carrack [a type of sailing ship], the flagship of the trade fleet Redran had provided, my party and I were heading towards Frey Port, where the Bluewind Merchant Guild was located.

“Amazing.”

Roos approached me as I admired the endless blue waves from the ship’s bow, expressing his awe.

“What’s so amazing?”

“It’s my first time out on the ocean in such a large ship. It’s quite a spectacle.”

“It’s not like you’ve never seen the sea before, right?”

I mentioned his past trip to the south on my orders, and Roos shrugged.

“The southern sea is calm. The water is relatively shallow, too. Compared to this, it was just a stroll.”

Indeed, even now, the ship was tilting precariously in the fierce waves.

“By the way, isn’t this your first time seeing the ocean, young master? You seem more comfortable than I expected.”

It’s not my first time. South Korea is surrounded by sea on three sides.

But here, it should be my first time. Should I be gaping in awe at the sea?

“It’s my first time, but it’s not bad.”

“Impressive. People are usually overwhelmed by the size of the ocean when they see it for the first time.”

“It must be different for everyone. Anyway, are the preparations done?”

Roos nodded at my question.

“I’ve given a rough explanation.”

“Did she accept it?”

“Of course not. I forcibly knocked her unconscious and kidnapped her when she refused to come. Who would obediently believe us in that situation?”

Roos rolled up his sleeve, revealing a clear teeth mark on his forearm.

“What’s that?”

“I was careless because her hands and feet were tied. She bit me. You should be careful too, young master.”

“Why didn’t you try to persuade her nicely and bring her along?”

“…If I had enough time, I would have.”

I chuckled at Roos’s words, subtly blaming me for giving him only one day.

“Well, who told you to cause trouble?”

“…”

“Got nothing to say? Then go and prepare a meal.”

“Huh? A meal?”

“You’re the one who brought her, so you should be responsible for her meals, shouldn’t you?”

I left the bewildered Roos behind and headed to the cabin.

As I walked, I organized my thoughts.

‘A descendant of Runcen…’

During the chaotic tribal wars hundreds of years ago, Runcen, facing his downfall, had secretly sent his child away in disguise.

The child was taken in by a small rural territory far from the turbulent times, the Riley family.

Thus, the descendant of Runcen, unaware of his true identity, grew up and continued the lineage through marriage with the Riley family to this day.

‘He was taken in at a young age, too young to understand anything, so he must have lived without knowing anything.’

Runcen was branded as a rebel prince for disobeying the Emperor’s orders.

If the head of the Riley family at the time had any sense, he would have taken that secret to the grave.

Of course, I can’t be sure. He might have been pretending not to know.

If so, the top priority is clear.

‘I need to find out what’s on the inside first.’

When I arrived at the cabin door, Illia was standing guard.

Sensing my presence, Illia, who had her hand on her sword hilt, slightly bowed her head upon recognizing me.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Is she inside?”

“Yes.”

“How is she?”

“She seems unstable, so you must be careful.”

“Is she going to die? By the way, where’s Rihas?”

“In his quarters.”

“Still?”

“Yes.”

“I sometimes doubt if that guy is really a knight.”

I shrugged, thinking of Rihas, who had been groaning from severe seasickness since the departure.

“Anyway, don’t let anyone except Roos come here. Got it?”

“Understood.”

I nodded at Illia’s reliable words and opened the cabin door.

The interior of the cabin was spacious and luxurious. It was a first-class room prepared for VIPs, not for ordinary sailors.

“Ugh…”

Inside the cabin, a woman was sitting on the bed with her hands and feet tied.

She glared at me with all her might. She seemed to have a fierce personality.

‘Like father, like son, Runcen’s descendant has a similar personality.’

In addition, her well-defined muscles were impressive. They didn’t seem to be the result of labor. She must have trained for combat.

Just from that, she seemed to have considerable skill in swordsmanship.

Well, genetics can’t be denied. Having inherited Runcen’s blood, her talent was obviously extraordinary.

I pulled a chair from the corner and sat in front of her, slowly bringing my index finger to my lips.

“If you’re willing to talk quietly, I’ll untie your hands and feet and remove the gag. What do you say?”

“…”

She reluctantly nodded.

I reached out and pulled the knot connected to the back of her head, and the gag that was blocking her mouth was removed.

After untying the restraints, she rubbed her wrists and glared at me.

“Who are you? What’s your relationship with that brutish-looking bastard? Why did you kidnap me?”

Brutish-looking…

I briefly thought of Roos’s face and opened my mouth.

“One at a time.”

“…”

“First, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Kind. What’s your name?”

She lived in a remote corner of the East, not in the capital, so she wouldn’t recognize my face.

“…Sella.”

“Sella. Okay. Then let’s move on to the second question. I am indeed the superior of that brutish-looking man.”

“…”

“Shall we go to the third question? Why did I kidnap you? The answer is simple. I didn’t have enough time to persuade you.”

“You didn’t have time?”

“Yes. But delaying the departure was not an option.”

“That’s a poor excuse for a kidnapper!”

“I don’t care if it’s poor or not. The important thing is that we’ve made arrangements like this.”

“…Why did you want to meet me?”

“It’s going to be a long story, so let’s have a meal first and talk slowly.”

No sooner had I finished speaking than a rumbling sound echoed from her stomach. What perfect timing.

I shrugged at her face, which turned as red as a ripe persimmon.

“It doesn’t seem like a bad offer.”

“…Whatever.”

She nodded, and soon after, a knock echoed.

“Come in.”

The door opened at my permission, and Roos appeared with a plate of food.

Seeing Roos, Sella furrowed her brows and shouted.

“That son of a bitch…!”

Roos, who was suddenly cursed at, also frowned.

“That’s harsh!”

“Why shouldn’t I call a son of a bitch a son of a bitch, you son of a bitch!”

“This girl?”

“Oh, really? Do I look like a girl to you? Well, that’s why you groped me, you pervert!”

Groped her?

Roos sweated nervously under my gaze.

“I, when did I grope you?”

“You touched me! I knew it from the moment you offered to help me with my revenge for free. Was this all an approach to kidnap me, you son of a bitch!”

“The gag, where’s the gag, young master?”

“What? Young master?”

…Stupid Roos.

Sella turned her gaze back to me and glared at me with narrowed eyes.

“Ah~ So you’re a noble young master? What kind of dog-bone family throws away their honor and kidnaps a lady? Did you need a plaything to entertain you on the voyage?”

I ignored Sella’s rant and gestured to Roos.

“Roos, put that down and get out.”

“Ah, I misspoke…”

“Get out.”

“Yes.”

Roos put down the plate of food and hurried out of the cabin.

The cabin became quiet for a moment.

I sighed, feeling like a storm had just passed, and held out the plate.

“If that guy did anything rude, I apologize on his behalf.”

“There was nothing.”

“Huh?”

Sella nonchalantly took the plate and picked up a piece of bread.

“There was nothing rude.”

“Then why just now…”

“It’s annoying. He suddenly asked me to go with him, and when I said no, he hit me on the back of the head. Because of that, my luggage was left at the inn. I felt like I needed to vent.”

“…”

“Oh, I’m sorry for calling your family a dog-bone family. I didn’t want to say anything to you, but I suddenly got angry.”

“It’s okay, you don’t have to worry about it.”

“You’re so generous. But I heard you’re a noble, can you tell me which family you’re from?”

Now that it’s come to this, there’s no point in hiding it.

“Lindayer.”

“Lindayer? You mean the Lindayer of the North?”

“Are there other Lindayers?”

“Oh, I almost made a big mistake! You weren’t lying when you said it was okay just now, right? You won’t hold it against me, will you?”

She’s quite sociable.

I couldn’t help but chuckle at her unyielding demeanor.

“By the way, I’m thirsty, do you have anything to drink?”

She pointed to the water bottle on the table, and she shook her head.

“I’d prefer wine to water.”

“…”

“Why? I’ve been kidnapped, can’t you even do that for me?”

Is this what it means to have your energy drained?

At her relentless demand, I silently opened the door and gestured to Roos, who was half-frozen.

“A bottle of wine. Bring it quickly.”

“Yes!”

After sending Roos on an errand, I closed the door and turned around. That’s when it happened.

Sella, who had jumped off the bed, was rushing towards me.

I smiled wryly as I saw the bread knife in her hand glinting in the lamplight.

I didn’t think she would actually do it.

Clack!

I lightly snatched the bread knife with my right hand. At the same time, I pushed her solar plexus [the nerve center behind the stomach] with my left hand and tripped her with my foot.

She fell helplessly onto the bed. Judging by her bewildered expression, she didn’t even know what had happened to her.

“Let’s not do anything that will make things uncomfortable for each other. It’s not like I’m stupid enough to just hand over cutlery.”

I spun the snatched bread knife around and handed her the handle again.

“…”

She silently took the bread knife and sighed deeply.

“Were you a knight too?”

“For now.”

“Damn it. I just wasted my effort.”

She scratched her head and started cutting the bread again and munching on it.

She has a very easygoing personality. You could say she’s the type of woman who would chat with King Yama [the judge of the dead in some Eastern religions] even in hell.

“Then let’s get down to business.”

“…Okay. Let’s hear if you’re going to kill me or save me.”

I sat down on the chair and nodded at her nonchalant munching.

“To cut to the chase, I have a plan.”

“A plan?”

“Yes. And your cooperation is essential for that plan. That’s why I brought you here.”

“…Cooperation? Are you thinking of starting a mercenary group or something?”

“If that were the case, I wouldn’t have brought you here.”

“Your explanation is lacking.”

“There’s nothing to compare it to. If I had to say… it’s like rebuilding a family.”

Her face stiffened. She must have been thinking of the ruined Riley family.

But I wasn’t talking about the Riley family.

The door opened and Roos handed me a bottle of wine. I took it, brought a glass, placed it in front of Sella, and slowly poured the wine.

“Have you heard of the Flores name?”

The Flores family.

She must have heard of it. It was led by Runcen and once dominated the East, but now it’s a famous name that’s taboo to even mention.

“I’m thinking of rebuilding that family.”

“…”

“And at the center of it will be Sella Flores.”

“Sella Flores? Are you kidding me?”

Sella dropped the bread she was holding and furrowed her brows.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m Sella Riley. Not Flores!”

“No.”

I shook my head and calmly looked at her.

“If you trace your bloodline, you’ll find Flores. That’s why we found you and brought you here.”

Her eyes widened at my confident words.

“May I continue explaining?”

“…”

“Good. The details of the plan are simple. Flores, who has received amnesty from the royal family, will fill the vacancy of Basarak, who will be ousted in the future. Then, the divided East will be reunited under the name of Flores, who has legitimacy as the rightful leader, and then Flores will atone for the mistakes of the past and submit to the royal family to fulfill the unfulfilled oath.”

Defeat Redran, who has dangerous ambitions, and replace him with Flores, who was once the ruler of the East.

And Flores, established in that way, becomes a loyal dog of the royal family under the guise of atoning for his past mistakes.

It was a plan that saw the future.

Giving great power to the currently toothless royal family and making them a strong ally in the upcoming tribal war.

‘Beyond simply defeating Redran, complete control of the East.’

That was my plan.